


Goodnight, You

by Nostalgia-in-Starlight (UniverseEndingParadox)



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 19:53:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2440946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UniverseEndingParadox/pseuds/Nostalgia-in-Starlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been awhile since they've had time to spend together. Zach and Chris take a short road trip to celebrate.</p><p> </p><p>-" “We’re lost,” Chris grumbles from where he’s half sulking in the passenger seat, arms crossed over his chest. Zach takes his eyes off the road for a brief second to glance at him, lips quirking in a smirk. He knows Chris isn’t really upset. If anything, he’s probably just hungry."-</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goodnight, You

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time ever writing Pinto so....

**Goodnight, You**

 

“We’re lost,” Chris grumbles from where he’s half sulking in the passenger seat, arms crossed over his chest. Zach takes his eyes off the road for a brief second to glance at him, lips quirking in a smirk. He knows Chris isn’t really upset. If anything, he’s probably just hungry.

“Who says we’re lost?” he sing-songs just to mess with Chris and turns his attention back to the road. It’s late, half past two, and the road that they’re on is dimly lit by streetlamps spaced too far apart to be effective. It’s been quite some time since they’ve had coinciding schedules and a short road trip to the vacation homes of Cape Cod had seemed irresistibly appealing. Well. The drive was _supposed_ to be short anyway. Zach may have taken a wrong turn or two at one point, but he’s just going to keep that to himself.

“You keep taking right turns.”

“So?” Zach squints at the road signs ahead and tries to remember which turn comes next. In trying to uphold his “no technology no distraction” scheme (as Chris called it), he had decided to forego using his phone for navigation and memorized the Google Map instruction instead. Plus, it’s more fun like this.

“There’s no way there’s that many right turns.”

“Right. And we both know you have a stellar sense of direction,” Zach retorts. Before Chris has a chance to say anything in response, he spots the street he’d been looking for and takes a right turn. Satisfied with their location, he reaches one hand behind the passenger seat and rummages around the pocket blindly. Pulling out a granola bar from the stash he made sure to pack earlier, he tosses it in Chris’s general direction. The packet makes a satisfying smack when it hits.

“Wha-?!”

He bites his lip to keep from smiling as Chris gives an indignant squeak and scrambles to retrieve the snack. There’s a pulse of silence as Chris registers what’s in his hand; then Zach is chortling at his own joke as Chris swats at him playfully.

“Fuck you, man,” Chris gripes, though he sounds like he’s trying very hard to not laugh along.

“You and your blood sugar problem, babe,” Zach drawls fondly, snickering a little under his breath. By now they’ve known each other long enough for Zach to recognize one of Chris’s food induced (or lack thereof) hissy fits. Huffing slightly, Chris tears open the package anyway and tucks into the granola bar. Grinning, Zach glances over again and catches the smile that Chris is trying vainly to hide. Reaching out, he squeezes Chris’s arm affectionately. “We’re almost there. I promise.” It’s been too long since they had all this time just to themselves and Zach feels like he could get drunk off the carefree, blissful feeling in his chest if such a thing were possible.

“We were lost, though, admit it,” Chris says in between bites.

“Maybe,” Zach allows and he’s smiling wide again. On a whim, he flicks on the radio to a random station and bats Chris away when he tries to fight for the controls. He doesn’t really know what he’s looking for, but he doesn’t really care either.

Chris makes the decision for him. “Wait, stop! I love this song,” he crows and promptly starts singing along to the song on the radio.

“Someone’s in a better mood,” Zach teases and listens to Chris crooning away with an indulgent smile. Chris doesn’t even bother to reply. They turn onto another street, one that would get them to their destination soon enough. Settling back into the driver’s seat, Zach marvels at the blissful simplicity of it all. He doesn’t think it gets much better than barreling down a deserted and unfamiliar street in the middle of the night with a heart so full it might just spill over. He glances periodically over at Chris- whose eyes shine brightly in merriment when lit briefly by the streetlamps- and thinks himself the luckiest man in the world. It should always be like this.

The song on the radio changes, and it’s one that they both know. Pretty soon, Zach finds himself joining Chris in singing along. They’re trying to outdo one another before long, belting out the lyrics and dissolving into giggles at the ridiculousness of it all. And maybe their laughter lasts longer than usual and maybe Zach is this side of giddy, but he doesn't care because he thinks this is what it would feel like to fly.

 

~o~

 

By the time they pull up to the house, it’s nearly three in the morning, but Zach doesn't feel nearly as tired as he probably is. “We’re here,” he says, as if it’s not obvious. Switching off the ignition, he looks over at Chris and grins at the excitement evident on his face.

“Finally!”

“Oh hush, you.” Zach fumbles a little with the door handle but manages to get the car door open. Before he has the chance to step out, though, he feels Chris’s hand tugging at his sleeve and stopping him from getting out. “What?” he asks, turning to find Chris smiling besottedly at him, blue eyes wide and earnest. Zach forgets what he’s doing for a second. On impulse, he takes the hand resting on his sleeve and draws Chris towards him. Smile still on his face, Chris shifts willingly. Leaning in, Zach feels his own lips quirk in mirth as their foreheads touch.

“Thanks for driving,” Chris murmurs softly and Zach feels rather than hears the quiet happiness behind the words. It’s good to know that Chris is enjoying this trip as much as he is. He closes the mere inches of space between them and presses a kiss against the smile on Chris’s lips.

“You’re welcome.” They pull back slightly and grin at each other, hearts light and warm with the knowledge that however deep their feelings, it’s shared.

“Wanna divide and conquer?” Chris asks after a long moment. “I’ll get the groceries and you get the luggage?”

“Do I sense an ulterior motive?” Zach quips, unable to resist. Chris sticks his tongue out like a child and pulls away. A beat later, Zach follows suit and between the two of them, they manage to gather everything from the car. The key to the house is in the coded box by the door as promised and they squeeze past each other into the house. Zach spares a finger to flick on the lights and immediately beams at the gorgeous open home laid out before them.

“This is better than I expected,” Chris says next to him and Zach couldn’t agree more. They separate after agreeing to meet upstairs in the master room. Zach lugs their bags up the stairs while Chris heads to the kitchen. He picks the first door that he sees and isn’t disappointed at the spacious room that he finds. Setting down the luggage in a corner, he sets about unpacking the essential items. The rest of the stuff can wait until after some sleep because seeing the ridiculously giant bed made him suddenly realize just how tired he is. It doesn’t take long to put away their toiletries and despite wanting to just crawl into bed, Zach decides to see if Chris needs any help putting away the week’s worth of groceries they brought.  

He takes in the house on his way to the kitchen, appreciating the beauty of the luxurious yet surprisingly homey space. At the far end of the house, Zach finds Chris dancing to a song in his head while putting away the groceries. Snorting to himself at the amusing display, Zach steps into the dimly lit kitchen. Chris must've been too lazy to turn on the other lights.

"What on earth are you doing?" He asks, trying hard not to laugh when Chris executes an awkward little twirl and ends up slightly unbalanced.

Chris jumps a little at Zach's voice and whips around with an impish grin, a bag of oranges swinging in one hand. "Dancing." There’s a very distinctive unspoken “duh” in there.

"Is that what we're calling it?"

"Hey, I'm a good dancer," Chris insists and attempts to prove his statement by turning around and doing a perfect rendition of a terrible, cheesy move that should only be done in clubs under the influence of a couple drinks. Tiredness momentarily forgotten, Zach doubles over in laughter, hand covering his face. He stumbles further into the kitchen and wraps his arms around Chris's tiny waist, pressing the front of his body along Chris's back and hooks his chin over a strong shoulder.

"You are such a dork," he laughs and Chris shakes a little in his own amusement.

"You know you love it," Chris says brightly.

Zach hums in agreement. He takes the bag of oranges from Chris's hand and sets it on one of the shelves in the open refrigerator. His arm snakes around Chris again, holding tight as Chris intertwines their fingers. Turning his head slightly, Zach presses a kiss to Chris's cheek and lingers there until Chris turns to meet his mouth in a deep kiss. They're swaying a little to an imagined beat, bodies illuminated by the refrigerator light. And even as his lungs start to protest the lack of air, Zach is loath to break the kiss.

“This is how you dance,” Zach whispers, panting slightly. Before Chris has the chance to question him, Zach is spinning him around so that they’re facing each other. Taking both of Chris’s hands in his, he whirls them around and around the spacious kitchen like a couple of sugar-high kids. And the refrigerator is beeping at them for leaving it open for so long but they don’t care. The room is spinning by in his peripheral vision but in all honesty, Zach’s attention is entirely focused on the light in Chris’s eyes, the way that the corners are crinkled from grinning so hard. It doesn’t take long for them to stop; slightly dizzy and winded, laughing like idiots.

 Zach drops Chris’s hands in favor of wrapping his arms around the younger man again. Chris reciprocates by looping his own arms around Zach’s neck and shoulders; and the two of them stand pressed together, eyes closed until the wave of dizziness has passed.

 “I’m still the better dancer,” Chris announces after a moment and Zach pulls back slightly to gives him an indulgent peck on the nose and laughs at the blush that immediately colors Chris’s cheeks.

 “Whatever you say, baby.”

~o~

 

They crawl into bed half an hour later with most of the groceries hastily put away. Zach flops down on the bed, hair fanning out over the pillow, and heaves a dramatic sigh. The mattress dips and bounces a little as Chris does the same next to him. “Oh man, I could sleep for days,” he groans. Rolling over on his side, Zach gazes lovingly at Chris, barely able to make out the details of his face in the low lighting. Chris mirrors him and their breaths swirl together in the small space in between.

“I’ve missed you,” Chris says, quiet and honest, blue gaze vulnerable. Reaching out, Zach lays his hand on the side of Chris’s face and strokes a thumb over silky skin.

“I’ve missed you too,” Zach confesses, “so fucking much.” Blue eyes shine softly at him and even in the dark, Zach can see the way Chris’s lips curl like smoke into a faint smile. A hand covers his and the warmth makes something clench in Zach’s chest. Scooting forward until their foreheads are resting together, Zach trails his hand down Chris’s back, looping around Chris’s waist to pull him close. He leans in and captures soft lips in a languid, sleepy kiss. Chris returns the kiss-gentle and sweet- humming in pleasure.

“I love you,” Zach whispers when they pull apart, foreheads still touching. It comes out hoarser than he had intended. He doesn’t miss the way Chris’s eyes glitter with sudden tears, but he doesn’t say anything.

“I love you, too.” Chris breathes after a moment, voice raw and wrought with tightly wound emotion. The heavy moment hangs over them for a long, drawn out moment, broken only by a yawn that makes Chris giggle. Zach shoves playfully at Chris’s shoulder and yawns again, sleepily blinking away the wetness in his eyes. Without prompting, Chris rolls so that he’s facing the other direction. Spooning up behind him, Zach wraps his arms tightly around Chris’s pliant body and pulls the covers around them. He nuzzles his nose into the soft hairs on the back of Chris’s head and sighs in contentment. His eyes drift close at the soothing feeling of Chris’s steady heartbeat against his front.

“Night, Zach,” Chris says softly, shifting one last time before settling down fully. Their fingers tangle together where their hands are resting on Chris’s chest.

Zach tightens his arms slightly and brushes a drowsy smile to the soft skin at the nape of Chris’s neck. “Goodnight, you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it.
> 
>  
> 
> I'm Nostalgia-in-Starlight on Tumblr. Feel free to follow.


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